The present invention relates generally to the management of a network and, more particularly, to a network that connects a variety of elements.
Networks are aggregates of elements that interact with one another. These elements must communicate across the network with each other, which necessitates that they be identified and understood by the network itself. These elements are generally of dissimilar function, design and manufacture, yet must interact seamlessly with one another across the network. To enable such communication, the network must be provided with the information necessary for the recognition and operation of each element.
One approach to this problem is to provide the network itself with the software instructions for the identification and operation of each of the elements on the network. However, for a variety of reasons, these instructions often are not provided at the top network level, i.e., at the level of the network management system (NMS). For example, the devices may be unable to communicate directly with the NMS due to the lack of Ethernet port capability, or the design of the network may be maximized in a manner that (as often is the case) militates against storing this information directly in the NMS. Network designers may forgo providing the NMS with the often substantial firmware necessary to support simple network management protocol (SNMP). The devices may also be unable to communicate directly with the NMS due to incompatibility with SNMP.
These capabilities can be provided by a network management proxy that is employed to monitor the status of a collection of elements or devices that can not communicate directly with the NMS. A proxy is a device (which can also be implemented as software, firmware, or other forms of code) that acts as an intermediary between the networked elements and the NMS. The proxy is capable of communicating with a network management system and also is capable of communicating with the other elements in a network. The proxy (sometimes referred to as the master element) serves as a translator, or bridge, between the network management system and those elements in the network not otherwise capable of communicating directly with the network management system for any reason. The proxy contains all of the information that the NMS needs to manage the element collection, and provides an efficient approach to managing a fixed, unvarying set of networked elements. However, when a new type of element or a new version of an existing element is added to the collection managed by the proxy, the proxy requires an upgrade in its software or firmware in order to monitor the new or changed element. Such upgrades can be costly in terms of time and money, particularly for networks in which elements frequently are added or upgraded.
The present invention is directed to the problem of simplifying and reducing the cost of providing a network with information necessary to the proper operation of a networked collection of elements.